In the world of T20 cricket, very few players can clear the boundary with the consistency and authority of Shivam Dube. The tall, left-handed Mumbai all-rounder has a way of making the impossible look routine — picking up a full delivery from a top-ranked spinner and sending it sailing over the long-on boundary with a nonchalance that leaves bowlers bewildered and crowds on their feet.
Born on June 26, 1993, in Mumbai, Shivam Dube’s story is one of reinvention and resilience. A cricketer who hit five sixes in a single over — twice — in domestic cricket, who battled weight issues as a teenager, who warmed benches before finding his calling, and who eventually became one of the most feared middle-order batters and a World Cup winner. Dube’s journey from Mumbai’s club cricket to India’s T20 World Cup squad is extraordinary precisely because it was never guaranteed.
As a Chennai Super Kings player mentored by the greatest finisher the game has known, Shivam Dube IPl has found his perfect home. This is his complete story.
Early Life: Struggle, Weight, and a Second Chance
Shivam Dube was born and raised in the suburb of Mumbai, where his father Rajesh Dube — originally from Bhadohi in Uttar Pradesh — had migrated for work. Cricket was always in Dube’s blood, and he began playing in his school cricket at Hansraj Morarji Public School. However, at 14, his cricketing journey came to an abrupt halt. Excess weight and financial constraints made it impossible for him to continue playing.
What could have been a career-ending setback instead became a defining moment. Dube returned to cricket at the age of 19 — five years later — with renewed purpose and determination. He worked on his fitness, his technique, and his batting. He was selected for the Mumbai Under-23s and quickly made an impression, showing the kind of six-hitting ability that would become his trademark.
His comeback story resonates deeply with young cricketers across India because it shows that talent, when combined with belief and persistence, can always find a way. Shivam Dube didn’t just return to cricket; he returned better, hungrier, and more committed than ever before.
Domestic Career: Five Sixes in an Over — Twice
Shivam Dube’s domestic cricket career reads like a highlight reel of power hitting. He made his T20 debut for Mumbai in the 2015-16 Syed Mushtaq Ali Trophy and was immediately noticed for his ability to clear the boundary with ease. His List A debut followed, and he quickly developed a reputation as one of the most explosive lower-order and middle-order batters in Mumbai cricket.
His Ranji Trophy debut in 2017-18 was the stuff of legend. He picked up a five-wicket haul in the first innings — announcing himself as a genuine all-round threat in first-class cricket. Later that season, he scored his maiden first-class century and took another five-wicket haul against Karnataka. He ended that Ranji season as Mumbai’s leading wicket-taker with 23 dismissals in eight matches.
The moment that truly made Dube a household name came in December 2018 — just one day before the IPL 2019 auction. In a Mumbai T20 League match, he smashed five sixes in a single over off Pravin Tambe. Tambe, a veteran leg-spinner, was helpless as Dube destroyed his over with a combination of raw power and clean hitting. What made the feat even more remarkable was that Dube had already done the same thing earlier in a Mumbai T20 League match. Five sixes in an over — twice.
The IPL franchises took notice immediately. Royal Challengers Bangalore paid INR 5 crore for his services at the 2019 IPL auction — a massive price for a player who had yet to play a single IPL game. The story of how Dube went from a club cricketer smashing sixers on a local ground one afternoon to a high-value IPL signing the very next day is one of cricket’s most vivid examples of seizing the moment.
IPL Journey: From RCB to CSK’s Perfect Weapon
Shivam Dube’s IPL debut came on March 23, 2019, for Royal Challengers Bangalore against Chennai Super Kings. His journey at RCB was mixed — he showed explosive capability but struggled with consistency and got limited opportunities. After two seasons with RCB, he moved to Rajasthan Royals in 2021, where he spent one season before CSK came calling in 2022.
It was at Chennai Super Kings that Shivam Dube truly found himself as an IPL cricketer. Under the guidance of MS Dhoni and the CSK coaching setup, Dube was groomed with a very specific role: come into bat in the middle overs, take on spin bowling especially, and accelerate the innings with maximum impact. The coaching staff identified that Dube’s height and bottom-hand power made him uniquely dangerous against spin — and that assessment proved correct beyond all expectations.
IPL 2022: Finding His Footing at CSK
In his debut CSK season, Dube played 11 matches and scored 289 runs, striking at 156.21. He made an immediate impact, showing that the role CSK had defined for him suited his game perfectly. His 95* (not out) against Royal Challengers Bangalore remains his career-best IPL score — a devastating knock that showcased everything Dube brings to the table.
IPL 2023: The Title-Winning Season
IPL 2023 was Shivam Dube’s finest IPL campaign. He scored 418 runs in the season at a strike rate of 158.33 — a remarkable combination of volume and pace. He hit 46 sixes during that campaign and played a crucial role in CSK winning their fifth IPL title. In the final, he scored 32 runs from 21 balls without losing his wicket — a cameo that helped CSK control the chase effectively. His consistency throughout the tournament earned him a well-deserved IPL winners’ medal and cemented his status as one of CSK’s most important match-winners.
IPL 2024 and 2025: Establishing Himself
Dube continued his excellent form in 2024, scoring 396 runs at a strike rate of 162.30. CSK retained him ahead of IPL 2025 for INR 12 crore — triple his previous salary and a statement of just how valuable he had become to the franchise. In total, across just three CSK seasons (2022-2024), Dube smashed over 1,100 runs for the franchise — a rate of contribution that fully justified the massive retention fee.
IPL Career Stats
| Season | Team | Matches | Runs | Average | Strike Rate | 50s | Best |
| 2019 | RCB | 4 | 40 | 10.00 | 133.33 | 0 | 18 |
| 2020 | RCB | 7 | 117 | 29.25 | 128.57 | 1 | 42 |
| 2021 | RR | 8 | 155 | 31.00 | 143.51 | 0 | 46 |
| 2022 | CSK | 11 | 289 | 32.11 | 156.21 | 2 | 95* |
| 2023 | CSK | 16 | 418 | 38.00 | 158.33 | 3 | 72 |
| 2024 | CSK | 14 | 396 | 33.00 | 162.30 | 3 | 95 |
| 2025 | CSK | – | – | – | – | – | – |
| TOTAL | CSK/RCB/RR | 79+ | 1859+ | 30.48 | 160+ | 10 | 95* |
International Career: From Debut to World Cup Winner
Shivam Dube made his T20 International debut for India in October 2019 against Bangladesh, and his ODI debut followed in November 2019 against West Indies. His early international career was intermittent — he was clearly talented, but India’s packed lineup meant opportunities were rare and precious.
Dube international career took a decisive upward turn in January 2024, when he scored 60 off 40 balls and 63* off 32 balls in consecutive T20Is against Afghanistan — two exceptional knocks that left the national selectors with no choice but to take him seriously as a regular. His ability to hit sixes off spin bowling — something he had mastered in domestic cricket and the IPL — translated directly to the international stage.
In May 2024, Shivam Dube was named in India’s squad for the ICC Men’s T20 World Cup in the West Indies and USA. He played a supporting role in the tournament but was part of an unbeaten campaign that ended with India lifting the trophy. The 2024 T20 World Cup triumph was India’s first major white-ball title in a decade, and Dube wore the winner’s medal with justifiable pride.
He continued his international career through 2024-25, including a Player of the Match award in the fifth T20I against Zimbabwe in July 2024 (26 off 12 balls plus 2/25) and a match-winning 53 off 34 balls against England in January 2025 in Pune. He was also a member of India’s victorious squad at the 2026 T20 World Cup.
Playing Style: The Six-Hitting Specialist
Shivam Dube’s batting style is built on his physical attributes and a very clear game plan. At over 6 feet tall, he brings significant height to his batting, which allows him to play powerful strokes over the top while still getting underneath the ball for maximum carry. His left-handed stance gives him a natural advantage against right-arm bowlers attacking his off-stump — his strength lies in driving and flicking on the leg side, and pulling over deep mid-wicket against the short ball.
What makes Shivam Dube special as a T20 batter is his ability to hit sixes off good-length deliveries. Where most batters wait for the ball to be full before going over the top, Dube can pick up good-length balls and clear the mid-wicket boundary. This is particularly devastating against spin — where bowlers rely on length to restrict stroke-making — and spinners consistently find themselves unable to contain him even when bowling well.
His bowling — right-arm medium pace — gives the team additional flexibility. He is not a primary wicket-taking option, but his ability to break partnerships and bowl useful overs in the middle has become an increasingly important part of his value to both CSK and India. With an economy rate of around 9.50 in the IPL, he bowls with enough variation to be useful without being predictable.
Key Strengths: Six-hitting vs spin, power-play impact, tall frame, left-handed variety, useful medium-pace bowling.
Records and Milestones
- Most sixes in a single IPL season for CSK — 46 sixes in IPL 2023.
- Career-best IPL score of 95* against RCB.
- Hit five sixes in an over in domestic cricket — twice (Mumbai T20 League and Ranji Trophy).
- Part of India’s ICC T20 World Cup winning squads in 2024 and 2026.
- Scored five-wicket hauls on his Ranji Trophy debut — a remarkable beginning in red-ball cricket.
- Retained by CSK for INR 12 crore for IPL 2025/26 — one of the highest Indian all-rounder retentions.
FAQ: Shivam Dube
Q: Which team does Shivam Dube play for in the IPL?
A: Shivam Dube plays for Chennai Super Kings (CSK) in the IPL. He joined CSK in 2022 after stints at Royal Challengers Bangalore and Rajasthan Royals, and was retained by CSK for INR 12 crore ahead of IPL 2025/26.
Q: What is Shivam Dube’s highest IPL score?
A: Shivam Dube’s highest IPL score is 95*, scored against Royal Challengers Bangalore while playing for CSK. He was dismissed just 5 runs short of his maiden IPL century.
Q: Is Shivam Dube a part of India’s T20 World Cup team?
A: Yes. Shivam Dube was part of India’s T20 World Cup winning squad in 2024 and also in 2026. He has established himself as India’s left-handed power-hitting option in the middle order.
Q: Why is Shivam Dube famous for five sixes in an over?
A: Shivam Dube famously hit five sixes in a single over off veteran leg-spinner Pravin Tambe in a Mumbai T20 League match in December 2018 — just one day before the IPL auction. He had previously achieved the same feat in another Mumbai T20 League match, making him one of very few players to hit five sixes in an over on multiple occasions.
Read More: MS Dhoni – Captain Cool, Thala, Legend: The Man Who Made CSK Immortal
Conclusion
Shivam Dube story is a testament to second chances and smart self-investment. A boy who stopped playing cricket at 14 because of fitness and financial challenges, who came back five years later with a completely redefined commitment to the sport, who then hit five sixes in an over on a Friday and became an IPL millionaire on a Saturday — there aren’t many stories in cricket quite like his.
At CSK, Dube has found his identity as a cricketer and a team player. Under Dhoni’s mentorship, he has honed his six-hitting into a consistent weapon rather than an occasional explosion. He is now a T20 World Cup winner, a multi-crore IPL star, and one of the most feared finishers in the country. The story is far from over.
